Turnagain Arm and Portage Valley

Turnagain Arm and Portage Valley private tour from Anchorage

From Anchorage, we travel along the scenic Seward Highway, one of only 13 highways in the US with the distinction of All American Road.

Take in the sights of the dramatic shoreline as we go down the Turnagain Arm. Learn all about the naturally occurring phenomenon that is the boretide, along with local history, geology, and ecology of the area. Be sure to keep your eyes open, this is a wonderful place to spot Alaska’s wildlife such as moose, dall sheep, eagles, beluga whales, and more.

Our first stop will be at the beautiful Hotel Alyeska and the ski town of Girdwood. Take an optional scenic tram to the top of Mt Alyeska for lunch with a view.

Next stop, Portage. Grab some photos of the beautiful valley carved by glaciers and straddled by mountain peaks alongside the iceberg-dotted Portage Lake. Step inside of the Begich Boggs Visitor Center to view exhibits and learn more about the Chugach National Forest. From the visitor center, take the cruise aboard the mv Ptarmigan to get up close to the glacier and watch the ice calve, crashing into the water below.

After the cruise, make an optional stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Alaska’ s wildlife. The AWCC takes in injured and orphaned animals year-round, providing spacious enclosures and quality animal care. Here you can view and photograph up close Alaska’s iconic animals that are unable to be released into the wild. Afterwards, head back to Anchorage and enjoy a narrated city tour including all the best dining places.

Testimonials

There were total 12 of us in this tour. It was an interesting international combination and we fitted in the van perfectly as we are all in average size. Our tour guide Michael is knowledgeable, friendly and always tried to accommodate our request.

Do not miss out the Antelope Canyon (optional item) , Its one the best spots in this tour.

The tour was the best as we had good tour guide and a group of good people! all the places are worth-seeing and itinerary is well arranged. Thanks mike and Bindlestiff Tours!

A 3-day national park tour that you CANNOT miss!

Bindlestiff Tours was the highlight of our trip to the USA. We took a national parks tour to Zion, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, Bryce and the Grand Canyon. High quality tour with fabulous hotels- And I found all the hot tubs!
We never went away hungry from the food choices Khriss made which included the surprise “Home made pie”, the chocolate cookies he provided for us during the long drives were very much appreciated.

Indeed, our group, to a person, said unsolicited that Khriss was the BEST driver/guide they had ever had and valued his shared knowledge, his expertise, his professional, punctual service, his books, and his patience. They especially remembered his contagious smile, Southern wit, love of John Wayne and the West, and his amazing ability to have all our luggage [those big bags our girls always take] in place at the agreed departure time! Yes, we had a great time and are so appreciative of Khriss, who went above and beyond to see to the needs of everyone in our group. I speak for the group in thanking you all for a wonderful and unique SW experience! THANK YOU!

Our small group had a very best trip to the SW US!

I recently came back from USA and I felt I had to share my experience with everyone.
After a lot of research in internet about which Company to use to travel from Vegas and see the Grand Canyon and the highlights around there, I am so happy I finally chose Bindlestiff tours.
My highlight of the trip was of course the helicopter flight over Grand Canyon, which was breathtaking. I would advise anyone to book the 55 mins flight in advance to avoid disappointment, for a bit more money than the 20 mins flight, you will be able to explore the Canyon best.
Our guide, Mike, was very knowledgeable , funny but professional and made the whole group bond. We started as 12 strangers and ended the tour as friends .The fact of being a small group made the interaction with each other very easy .
I felt this trip met my expectations if not exceeded them. This is a great choice if you don’t have a lot of time to drive freely and you want to see the National Parks highlights around Vegas.
If you are looking and looking and you are not sure which Company you should go for, don’t think anymore. Choose Bindlestiff tours and it won’t disappoint !

I cannot recommend this trip and Company enough

I spent 3 of my best days in the US on that tour. Perfectly organized and guided by JD Boyle, it gives the opportunity to visit legendary places and really feel the desert. To see the moon rise and the night fall over Monument Valley and the first sun rays above the same rocks the next morning was a dream come true. Thanks JD, thank you Bindlestiff! I hope to travel again with you some day:)

National Parks Mini Explorer

Last summer I booked a 3 day trip covering Zion, Bryce, Monument Valley, Horseshoe bend, Grand Canyon, departing and end at Vegas. After one year, I still think this is the best trip I ever booked from a tour company. I was extremely lucky to have Vern as our guide & lead (also driver), a guy with great personality, also so experienced and professional in organizing everything. We were able to be quite flexible in deciding how long we wanted to stay in each place, which hiking trek to take, etc. I enjoyed every hiking route Vern recommended! I was travelling solo and was a bit concerned if I would be totally comfortable in joining a group tour, but it proved my concern was nonsense. The others in the group were very easy going and we got along well.

Every park has its own uniqueness and amazing views. I loved every place really. The highlight for me is Monument Valley, apart from the sunrise (we had a great camping spot for watching sunrise!) and the safari tour, the whole place just felt so spiritual (my very personal feeling).

I never felt rushed or bored during the 3 days. Most of the time I even forgot I was travelling with a tour company, I felt I was just travelling with a group of friends. Arizona and Utah not only have unique nature landscapes but also interesting social and culture characters.

I would love to highly recommend Bindlestiff to everyone. If I have the chance, I will do another trip with Bindlestiff.